Jaipur: Medical students hold placards during a protest at Statue Circle against the rape and murder of a young medic at RG Kar Medical College, in Jaipur on Sunday, August 18, 2024. (Photo: IANS/Ravishankar Vyas)
Kolkata, August 18 (IANS) The parents of the junior doctor raped and murdered at the state-run R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata have lost trust in West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee given the way the police handled the case.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, the victim’s father said, "Earlier I had full faith in her (Mamata Banerjee), but not now. She is asking for justice, but what is she saying that for? She is doing nothing."
"They are now saying 'We want justice'. But they are trying to lock up the general public who are also saying the same thing," he told NDTV.
Though he did not refer to any particular incident, fans of arch-rival football clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were lathi-charged on Sunday as they joined hands to protest against the R.G. Kar incident outside the Salt Lake stadium, where a Durand Cup Derby between the two clubs was called off citing security reasons.
The victim’s father also said that the CBI, which was handed over the case on Tuesday by the Calcutta High Court, is at least making an effort, adding that he has handed a page from his daughter's diary to the probe agency though he didn’t divulge its contents.
He also gave a piece of advice to the residents of Bengal through NDTV, saying: "All the schemes by Mamata Banerjee -- ‘Kanyashree’, ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ -- are pseudo. Whoever wants to avail these schemes kindly see if your Lakshmi at home is safe before availing them."
The bruised body of the junior doctor was found in the seminar hall of the R.G. Kar Medical College on the morning of August 9.
The prime suspect -- Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer with Kolkata Police posted at the police outpost of the hospital -- was arrested on the basis of CCTV footage.
While local media reported that Roy admitted to the crime, many people are saying the rape and murder couldn’t have been the handiwork of one person.
"We have been saying this from the beginning. All the people we spoke to, even doctors, agreed that it was not possible for one person to do as much was done to her,” The victim’s father told NDTV, ruing that people who were supposed to ensure his daughter's safety failed to discharge their responsibility.
"As parents, we worry when our child is on the road, but not so much when she reaches her workplace. Like we used to drop her to school… Once she was inside the gate, we were relieved," he added.
In a related development, the Supreme Court on Sunday took suo motu cognisance of the R.G. Kar case.
As per the cause list published on the website of the apex court, a three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud will take up the matter titled “Alleged rape and murder incident of a trainee doctor in R.G. Kar Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, and related issues” on Tuesday.
The bench also comprises Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra.
